site.btaTour Operators Expect Lv 100 Mln Losses if Bulgaria's Border with Greece Is Completely Blocked for Coming Holidays

Tour Operators Expect Lv 100 Mln Losses if Bulgaria's Border with Greece Is Completely Blocked for Coming Holidays

Sofia, April 22 (BTA) - Association of Bulgarian Tour Operators and Travel Agents (ABTOTA) Governing Board Chairman Baiko Baikov told a BTA-hosted news conference on Friday that if Bulgarian road hauliers fulfil their threat to block completely Bulgaria's border with Greece for a couple of weeks, the tourism industry will incur some 100 million leva losses.

Road hauliers in Bulgaria are planning to block the border with Greece to all truck, bus and car traffic from April 29 to May 8 in retaliation for a 40-day-long border blockade by protesting Greek farmers in January and February 2016. The Union of International Hauliers and the Bulgarian Association of the Road Transport Unions have threatened to seal the border between Easter and St George's Day, lifting the blockade for two hours every six hours.

"We understand the arguments of our transport industry colleagues, we ourselves were on the receiving end of events during the winter, we support their grievances but oppose the form in which they express their protest," Baikov commented, describing the expected closure of the border as "lawlessness".

ABTOTA expects more than 100,000 Bulgarians to travel to Greece on package tours: 50,000 for Easter and as many for St George's Day. Together with the numerous Bulgarians who will make their own holiday arrangements or travel for another reason, more than 150,000 will be affected by the border blockade. Some 50,000 Greek citizens, who are expected to arrive in Bulgaria for a vacation, will also experience difficulties, which will inflict losses on Bulgarian hotel owners.

Bulgarians' bookings for the holidays are already declining, and Greek tour operators are cancelling package tours to Bulgaria, Baikov said.

The tourism industry called on the professional communities of Bulgarian road hauliers to persuade their members to take reasonable steps for addressing the problem. The tour operators and travel agents also want the ministries of tourism, transport and interior and the Prime Minister to do what is necessary so that Bulgarians could enjoy the holiday season properly instead of fearing that they may be unable to reach their cross-border destination.

ABTOTA suggests to road hauliers to give up their border blockade plans and instead stop transporting farm produce from Greece to Bulgaria as from Saturday until local farmers pledge that they will no longer stage protests at the border in February.